Not Applicable
The present invention relates to a folding cover for a pickup truck bed employing improved latching, sealing, and attachment features.
A number of folding covers have been developed for covering pickup truck beds. Applicant""s prior U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,844,531 and 4,946,217 (which are incorporated by reference) disclose the general construction and operation of such products. In these products, the front panel, or the panel closest to the cab of the pickup truck, is usually fastened down securely and serves as an anchor for the remaining panels of the cover. The disadvantage with this construction is that the front panel cannot be moved for access purposes, and the space underneath the front panel is difficult to gain access to, and in any event, requires folding all of the rearward sections forwardly to do so. Applicant""s U.S. Pat. No. 5,653,491 discloses one method for providing a front panel that can be opened while at the same time retaining the cover assembly in a fixed position on the pickup truck bed.
An object of the present invention is to provide an easily removable folding pickup bed cover with an improved mechanism for opening either of the front two panels, while at the same time holding the panel assembly in its proper position on the pickup truck bed.
Other objects of the present invention are to provide an improved seal for the junctions between adjacent panels, and to provide an improved latch mechanism that not only latches the rear panel downwardly, but also holds the panels in a stack when folded forwardly to the front of the pickup truck bed.
In accordance with the invention, a folding cover for a pickup truck bed comprises at least two panels that are connected together at a hinge axis that permits each panel to be lifted up and folded over toward the top of the other panel. An attachment mechanism for retaining the panels in position on the pickup truck bed while permitting the panels to fold comprises an arcuate track and follower mechanism interconnecting one panel with the pickup truck bed. The track and follower mechanism defines an arcuate path that permits either panel to open while holding that cover in a fixed transverse and longitudinal position on the pickup truck bed. The track and follower mechanism holds the cover in its proper position on the pickup truck bed when either panel is opened.
In one aspect of the present invention, the track and follower mechanism comprises an arcuate track mounted on the pickup truck bed, and an arcuate follower attached to a front panel of the cover, with the arcuate follower being constrained to move along the arcuate path of the track as the front cover is opened.
In a preferred practice of the present invention, separate followers are attached to both of the two panels, so that either panel can be opened completely until the follower thereof is disengaged from the track, while the follower of the other panel holds the panel assembly in position on the pickup truck bed. Desirably, the followers are arcuate members. With this embodiment, the entire folding cover can easily be removed and reinstalled on the pickup truck bed simply by folding both covers up simultaneously so as to be disengaged from the track.
In another aspect of the present invention, the gap between adjacent panels is sealed from moisture penetration by a unique S-shaped or accordion-shaped seal, which is attached on one end to the edge of one panel and is attached at the other end to the edge of the adjacent panel, preferably by a pressure-sensitive adhesive. The seal expands and collapses in accordion fashion as the panels are pivoted relative to each other, and when the panels lay flat on the pickup truck bed, the seal fills the space between the panels and forms an enlarged bead above the junction between the panels.
Another aspect of the present invention is an improved panel latch mechanism that serves both as a latch for the rearmost panel and as a latch to hold the panels together when they are folded in a stack at the front of the pickup truck bed.
These and other features of the present invention are described in detail below and shown in the appended drawings.